Dragon Knights
The Dragon Knights are a fresh chapter spawned from the Medieval Death World of Shernauch I. Origins Shernauch I was settled by the Imperium long ago and evolved into a functional Medieval world despite the incredibly hostile flora and fauna. Various barbarian clans began to establish themselves with sweeping farm lands surrounding central castles. The common men and women of Shernauch I were illiterate serfs under the rule of their feudal lords, however the nobels themselves were aware of the orbital platform on which the governor lived, and were granted limited access to Imperial technology to consolidate their rule. While the planet was firmly in the technological dark ages, most would believe the world was of no interest to the Adeptus Mechanicus, and that was the desired idea. The king of Ayrshire at the time was offered power and wealth in exchange for letting his castle act as storage for the Imperium's assets. The hope was that the locals were too ignorant to understand what they were guarding, and that they would be easy to put down if they chose to turn on the Imperium with the valued assets in their custody. For several hundred years, the Ayrshire clan unwittingly guarded over an emergency stock of Blood Angel gene seed. At the turn of the millennium, the Great Rift appeared and consumed Shernauch I. This doom was foreseen by court witches and wizards, however the vassals were no match for the thirsting daemons that descended onto their world. With no other options for escape, the governor met with the current King Ayrshire and explained what his clan had been guarding for generations. The governor and his aides took up in the Ayrshire castle with what advanced weapons and personal guard he had while attempting to explain his plan to the technologically ignorant king. A years long siege began while the governor and king began the laborious conversion of as many knights as they could. In a time of crisis, the kings of the various realms sent their greatest knights to Ayrshire for an attempt at conversion, though the means of surgery, extended siege of daemons at Ayrshire castle and age of the subjects resulted in most subjects dying on the operating table. Of the few who managed to survive the operation in crude conditions almost as medieval as their world itself, many were slain during the intervals between operations and organ adaptation while manning the castle defenses. Those few who survived the entire process only had access to the governor's suits of heavy exo-armor and a few chain weapons.These new knights entered battle with the help of their lord's wizards and little true understanding of their new enhancements. With little time to prepare or train with their new forms, many of these new knights were slain in battle, however some survived long enough for a miracle. The governor brought down his travel wizard and joined her with a large gathering of court witches and wizards, their faith in the Emperor being their only hope for escape while the knights struggled to preserve what they could. In a flash, the wizards moved the planet from the rift at the cost of most of their lives. It was then that the Adeptus Mechanicus and Blood Angels appeared to save the castle marked as their gene-storage. In the following months, King Ayrshire himself was enhanced under proper conditions, though extra measures were taken to ensure he could survive the procedure. Proper apothecaries have helped the king and his clan steady themselves so the Blood Angels could gain new allies in a time of crisis. While exo-armor was the main armor for the chapter, true terminator suits have been granted to them for the scouring of daemons from Shernauch I. So few actual Dragon Knights are alive and active, their status is largely uncertain, however King Ayrshire retains his rule and people as his own. The Dragon Knights chapter was not a planned creation, nor is its place in the Imperium fully settled, however the Blood Angels have taken their illegitimate children under their wing. The second generation of Dragon Knights is new to the field, and the guidance of Blood Angel apothecaries has already shown marked improvements over their founding kin. Whether the administratum recognizes and registers them as an official chapter or simply folds them into the Blood Angels is as of yet unknown. Organization The Dragon Knights are modeled after their clan origins. King Ayrshire rules the chapter with several officers appointed to positions such as Duke or Count, each determining who has what amount of the chapter under their command. They retain their feudal structure with typical knights as minor nobility living in their own estates on Shernauch I with a staff of serfs beneath them. Due to the origins of the Dragon Knights, they are ideal for melee combat and siege warfare, as well as boarding actions on voidships. With the proper guidance of the Blood Angels letting them slowly increase their ranks, several Knight kill-teams have been dispatched. They use their own suits of terminator armor with a diverse array of melee weapons, and are primarily teleported behind enemy lines or on enemy voidships to begin their assaults. While they lack the numbers for open warfare, the chapter can undertake sieges when united in a single effort. Should a rebellion grow on a world, they are able to raid supply lines and wither down the planet's defenses before storming the governor's palace. With the second generation of Dragon Knights entering active duty, the fledgling chapter is crossing over 500 knighted members. Culture The Ayshire kingdom was chosen as the safeguard for the Blood Angel's gene-seed both due to their existing power, however also for their culture. While literacy was low on Shernauch I, bards reading off poetry and performing music was a common attraction. Artists and sculptors were sponsored by lords. Carnal pleasures were approached openly by the peasants as one of few ways to escape their dreary day to day lives. When enhanced by the gene-seed and meeting with the Blood Angels, many knights would enjoy philosophical debates and fine cultural staples with their distant brothers. Knights within the chapter are considered minor nobility. They hold lands with a staff of serfs, have their tithes to the King and Imperium handled by their underlings, and are expected to take a wife or wives. The idea is to breed children with their father's might, however they have only produced baseline humans with average compatibility rates. The chapter views technological progression with the same skepticism as their Imperial overlords, preferring to retain as much of their existing combat doctrine as possible, however the Blood Angels have assisted them in siring vat-grown serfs. While initially the lords of the Dragon Knights refused to let inhuman scum on their world, they could not deny the catastrophic toll from their population of several billions being reduced to only a few million planet-wide. Eventually Ayrshire agreed to have his own village apothecaries (not to be confused with proper, Space Marine apothecaries) oversee massive growth facilities on the lands of his own castle. Notable Engagements + M41.999 The Doom of Shernauch I The Great Rift opens and consumes the world. Daemons flood the planet and begin butchering the populous. A several year siege begins at Castle Ayrshire. Crude forms of space marine creation allow a small number of Paladins to defend the Ayrshire castle while a large group of psykers and navigators relocate the planet itself at the cost of their own lives and souls. + M42.007 The Scouring of Shernauch I After making contact with the Blood Angels, the Dragon Knights began sweeping across their world to mercilessly purge any daemonic entities or corrupted life. This process would not be completed until M42.017.